Hitting out at the AAP government, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal government completely failed in imposing a ban on firecrackers in the national capital.

“The Supreme Court had directed the Delhi government to impose a ban on firecrackers, and the Delhi government has completely failed in implementing this ban. Therefore, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal should present himself in court and admit, while seeking forgiveness, that they have failed to enforce the Supreme Court’s strict orders on banning firecrackers in Delhi. The decision on what penalty to impose on him depends on the court,” Bidhuri said.

Advertisement

He further alleged that the notification for the ban was deliberately issued late after the announcement. “Therefore, Kejriwal himself should present his failure in imposing the ban before the Supreme Court and apologize for the unsuccessful attempt,” Bidhuri added.

Bidhuri said the Delhi government announced a ban on bursting of firecrackers on Diwali on September 12.

“Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai himself had made this announcement, but the notification for the ban on firecrackers was not intentionally issued promptly by the Delhi government. This notification was issued almost a month later on October 6. Firecracker shops in Delhi remained open during this time, and there was a good sale. Everyone knew there was a ban on crackers for Diwali, yet people stocked up, and the stock was used on Diwali,” he said.

Bidhuri has asked Gopal Rai to explain the reason for the delay in issuing the notification and “who was responsible for this negligence.”

The Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly further alleged that the Delhi government took no steps to enforce the ban on firecrackers.

“On the night of Diwali, no DM, SDM or any team from the Delhi government was seen on the ground. Gopal Rai should tell how many teams of the Delhi government toured the capital, witnessed the bursting of crackers, or sought police assistance for raids,” Bidhuri added.